With the breeding season for spring-calving herds fast approaching, a lot of attention in the past fortnight has focused on pre-breeding scanning of cows.
Traditionally, scanning was done either on a whole-herd level or based on pre-breeding heat detection in conjunction with calving records.
However, with a big uptake in the use of collars locally and nationally, this is happening a month earlier than was the case 10 years ago and is focused on a more specific cohort of the herd.
Cows that are being presented for scanning are those not showing heat and are more than 35 days’ calved, cows which held the afterbirth after calving or which have had a discharge, those which have had a difficult calving or have had metabolic issues after calving such as milk fever or ketosis.
Problems found during these scans often include non-cycling cows, ‘dirty’ cows that have endometritis, or cystic cows.
Treatment varies depending on length of time calved, mating start date and severity of condition but often includes synchronisation programmes for non-cycling cows, intrauterine antimicrobial treatment together with or without hormonal treatment for ‘dirty’ cows.
Treatment for cystic cows can either involve manual manipulation of the ovary and/or hormonal treatment.
Mineral deficiencies can be a problem on some farms and these together with the different options for supplementation can be discussed with your vet during this time also.
Scanning of problem cows during these few weeks can dramatically increase the three-week submission rate of a particular farm and hence increase the pregnancy rate. This all leads to a more compact calving period the following spring.
Pat Devine, XLVets, Lismore Vets, Waterford
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